Police: Man douses 85-year-old with gas, sets him on fire

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Police in Alabama say an 85-year-old man was doused with gasoline and set on fire, killing him.

Birmingham police say the suspect and the victim had some type of encounter early Wednesday morning, when witnesses reported a fire in a back yard and saw the suspect running down an alley with a red gas jug.

Arriving officers found the victim lying on the ground in the back yard, his body severely burned. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the suspect was found a short distance away and taken into custody.

Names of the victim and suspect weren't immediately released.

Police Chief A.C. Roper said in a statement that the suspect confessed to the crime, but "we have not received any logical justification to explain what happened."